Gentlemen:
Oil was indeed used to combat the effects of brine that ran onto the rails from the bunkers of ice chilled refrigerator cars. Look carefully below the draw bar in the picture where the man in the straw hat is looking down. Adjacent to the ball of the rail is a sprayer nozzle, in fact multiple nozzles designed to lay a film of oil on the angle bars, the edge of the ball of the rail (not the top of the rail) and on the seat of the tie plates.
They were definitely not spraying weeds with oil.
The car in question appears to be a box car that was modified to become the control house for the sprayer.
Cordially,
John Hodson
From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bill Ewinger
Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2014 2:54 PM
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Track oiling [1 Attachment]
I understand the oiler was used to combat the salt water that would come from the iced reefer cars so the water would not damage the ties and road bed. in this picture they appear to be on a branch line so we are know spraying the oil for weed control?
